Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 21, 1993 TAG: 9303210146
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
MUNFORD BIDS PARTY FAREWELL
Del. Joan Munford said her goodbyes to Montgomery County Democrats on Saturday while those who would succeed her continued to weigh their party support.Munford, who has served 12 years in the General Assembly as an advocate for children and the elderly, cited family and business reasons in announcing her retirement.
Roughly 150 Montgomery Democrats, attending a mass meeting to pick delegates for the 9th District and state Democratic conventions, gave Munford a standing ovation when she was introduced by State Sen. Madison Marye, D-Shawsville.
Marye described Munford as "a Democrat from the top of her head to the tip of her toes." He said she was a hard-working and courageous legislator who would take on controversial legislation that many others would shy away from.
Munford sponsored a bill that created the family-life curriculum in Virginia's public schools. And as chairman of the House of Delegates Labor and Commerce Committee, she undertook a complete rewrite of the state's child labor laws.
Visibly shaken by the reception she received and the weight of her decision to step down, Munford thanked the Democrats for the trust and honor they had given her.
"We won't be sad," she said, her voice quavering. "It's the first day of spring. That represents a new beginning."
Later, during a break in the meeting, Munford said, "It's kind of tough telling the people I love a whole lot that I won't be representing them." But, she said, she's confident a Democrat will succeed her this fall as many good people have shown an interest in the party's nomination.
Two more potential Democratic candidates for Munford's 12th District seat surfaced at Saturday's meeting and one person who said last week he was interested said he no longer is. The district encompasses northern Montgomery County and eastern Giles County.
Cynthia Massie, 47, who lives in the Prices Fork community, said she was definitely interested in the nomination. Massie, a founder of the New River Valley Hospice, works at the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech.
"It's been in the back of my mind for a long time to run for public office," she said.
Massie, a native of Staunton, has lived in Montgomery County for 25 years and has long been active in the Democratic Party, she said. She will graduate from Tech - along with her daughter - in May with a degree in public policy.
County Supervisor Jim Moore of Blacksburg is also flirting with the notion of seeking the nomination. "I'm not ruling it out but I'm not ruling it in," he said.
Moore said Democrats from his District A will meet at his house Wednesday night to discuss alternatives related to this fall's House race.
County Supervisor Larry Linkous of Blacksburg said Saturday he is no longer considering trying for Munford's seat. After talking with some members of the party it was clear that he was too conservative for them and could not get their support, Linkous said.
Also, Montgomery Democratic Chairwoman Lindsay West, who was mentioned earlier in the week as a possible candidate, has made it known that she is not interested. West is currently in England with her husband and will not return home until June.
Two more people who said earlier in the week they're interested in the nomination said they still are but have not made up their minds whether to seek it.
"I'm certainly leaning in that direction," said Waldon Kerns, a Blacksburg town councilman and agricultural economist at Virginia Tech. Kerns said he needs to talk with a few more people before making his decision.
Jim Shuler, a Blacksburg veterinarian and former town councilman, said he, too, needs a few more days before making a decision. Shuler probably would have Munford's support should he decide to run.
On the Republican side, those who have shown an interest in the seat include County Supervisor Nick Rush of Christiansburg and Blacksburg Councilman Al Leighton of Blacksburg, who ran against Munford in 1991.
In Saturday's main business, county Democrats gave their nod to Arlington lawyer Bill Dolan over Bedford Commonwealth's Attorney Jim Updike in the delegate race for the state attorney general nomination. Dolan took 23 delegates to Updike's 12, with one undecided.
All of the county's 36 delegates declared for Mary Sue Terry and Don Beyer in the races for governor and lieutenant governor.
Keywords:
POLITICS